Taking a Risk
by KeiChanz
Summary: Even after Inuyasha told her not to follow after him should she wake up and find him gone in the middle of the night, Kagome does so anyway and what she finds breaks her heart and nearly costs her her life. "C'mon, Kagome, breathe, damn you, breathe!"


This one-shot is for my good friend and favorite author **InuGrrrl.** This was actually promised quite a while ago, but I never got around to finishing it. It sat on my computer for a few years, five pages written, and I actually had to read what I had so far in order to grasp where I was going with it originally. I'm sorry it's so friggin' late, Goober. It guess I sorta forgot it was there since I had it labeled "untitled" in my one-shots folder so I was never curious to ever open it up until recently.

Regardless, I hope you enjoy what I managed to scrounge up for you, even if the title is kinda shitty and boring, and I hope it's what you expected when you gave me the criteria of "human Yasha, angst, Kikyou and smut." I've never been that good at angst, but I gave it my best shot and I hope it comes up to par.

**Note:** If you see italicized words merged together, I apologize. For some reason the doc manager on here merged all of them together and I had to go through the whole damn thing and space them out. Pain in the freakin' ass...

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters associated with him in this fiction.

**-X-**

**Taking ****a ****Risk**

"Dammit wench, don't you die on me!" a shirtless Inuyasha pleaded fervently, drops of water dripping from his face and ebony hair to land upon the prone - and not breathing - woman on the ground as he fiercely pumped her chest with desperate hands. He was thankful that he had been paying attention when she had showed their friends how to perform "CPR" when something like this occurred.

And something like that was definitely occurring now.

Fear clenched his gut into a tight knot and a strangled sound echoed in the back of this throat. She wasn't responding, dammit all! Not for the first time tonight, he damned the moonless night into the fiery pits of hell and mentally kicked himself over and over again for his temporary weakness. If only he'd been in his hanyou form, he could have stopped this from happening...if only she hadn't fucking _followed_ him… He told her to trust him, dammit, why didn't she listen to him? This whole mess could have been avoided if only she'd…

"C'mon Kagome..." he pleaded once more, growing more frantic with each second she remained still. "You can do it, Kagome; I know you can fight this! You're stronger than this, dammit, _wake __up!_"

Silence.

Fear gripped his heart and a whine escaped his mouth as his violet eyes shimmered suspiciously. "Please..." His voice cracked as he slid his arms beneath her soaking figure, lowering his head to her still chest.

No heartbeat.

_No... _Forcing back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes, Inuyasha lifted his head, eyed her blue lips, and then slammed his mouth down onto hers, pinching her nose and forcing air into her lungs.

"C'mon, Kagome, breathe, damn you, _breathe!_" He lifted his mouth from hers and thrust his hands onto her chest again, willing her lungs to starting working again and those beautiful brown eyes to flutter open.

When they didn't, he cursed aloud and went for her mouth again but stopped short when a strange gurgling sounded from her. Quickly he rolled her over onto her stomach, one arm bracing her around the waist and he allowed a sliver of hope to embed itself within his heart. _Is __she...?_

The gurgling continued and then with a painful-sounding choking noise, water spewed from Kagome's mouth and Inuyasha visibly sagged with relief, closing his eyes and resting his forehead on her back.

_Thank __God_, he thought and swallowed the hard lump in his throat, his clawless hand rubbing her back soothingly as she continued to cough up water. His heart leapt when he heard her drawing raspy breaths and he knew she was going to be okay. _If __you __died...__I __don't __know __what __the __hell __I'd __do._

Gasping for air, her body feeling sore and achy all over, Kagome coughed weakly and winced, her throat feeling as if it were on fire. The metallic taste of blood and dirty river water invaded her mouth and she licked her dry lips, her tongue feeling swollen and heavy.

As she slowly regained her senses again, the warmth of a hand on her back caused her to frown slightly and try to sit up, only for her arms to give out under her weight and she fell back to the ground, awaiting the cold earth to meet her body but it never came. It was then that she realized there was a strong arm wrapped about her waist - how long had that been there? - dragging her back up and into a warm chest.

A rather violent shiver coursed down her spine and Kagome was aware of just how cold she was. Another shudder wracked her form and she leaned back into the solid warmth, closing her russet orbs as she inhaled Inuyasha's scent, laced with something indistinguishable, a sense of calm overcoming her. _Inuyasha...thank __you._

Inuyasha exhaled shakily and tightened his hold on her, burying his nose in her wet hair and thanking the Gods she was alive and safe in his arms. His muscles tensed when his human nose only picked up the scent of river water and mud and he would have growled had his human body permitted it.

"You fuckin' scared me," he said hoarsely before he could think, his voice sounding as if he was the one that had puked up water for five minutes. He started slightly when the words registered in his head, but he made no move to correct himself. Instead Inuyasha reinforced his words by clutching her tighter to his chest, refusing to let her go. _I __almost __lost __her..._

The color was slowly seeping back into Kagome's pale face which currently sported a small frown of confusion. She shivered again and unconsciously huddled deeper into warmth behind her. Inuyasha...was scared? For _her? _The frown deepened as she tried to recall just how they had wound up in this position, the both of them soaking wet and smelling like they hadn't showered in a few days. A damp strand of black hair fell over her shoulder and Kagome stared at it, dimly realizing that the shade was a bit darker than her usual blue-black tresses.

And why was it so dark? It couldn't be nighttime already, could it? And even if it was, surely the moon would—

The moon.

Twin pools of chocolate brown snapped open as a gasp of realization escaped a pair of dry lips. Kagome straightened in his lap and twisted her head up to gaze up at the dark sky.

The _moon_less sky.

All at once it came rushing back to her, a tidal wave of painful memories so sharp and abrupt that it made her breath catch in her raw throat, resulting in a series of wheezing coughs.

Inuyasha was immediately attentive, rubbing her back soothingly and murmuring soft words of comfort in her ear. Kagome was too shocked by the impact of what happened to grasp at the notion that the hanyou gone human was being uncharacteristically affectionate.

Once she calmed down enough Kagome carefully took a breath of fresh air and turned her attention to the man behind her, catching his gaze and holding it. By the way Inuyasha's jaw set and his muscles tensed around her, she knew he could read the silent question in her eyes.

Something flashed in his violet irises and Kagome's heart broke all over again.

**-X-**

_Kagome awoke with a start, chocolate eyes snapping open and staring up at the moonless sky through the thick branches of the tree she slept under. She was vaguely aware of Shippou nestled into her side snoring softly and the dying embers of the fire casting a faint orange glow on the ground surrounding the makeshift camp. Kagome lay there, listening to the sounds of the night and frowning when she realized she didn't know what had woken her._

_Sitting up, she was careful to avoid waking the snoozing kitsune beside her and looked around, biting her lip in thought and her frown deepening in confusion. There was nothing amiss; Sango and Miroku were both sound asleep, Kirara curled up next to her mistress and the dying fire crackling quietly. She couldn't sense any evil auras around, nor could she hear any rustling in the bushes to announce an unfriendly nighttime visitor. _

_Everything was as it should be. So then why…?_

_Acting on impulse, the raven-haired girl looked over her shoulder at the base of the giant tree and immediately Kagome knew what had woken her up. _

_Inuyasha was gone._

_So attuned to the hanyou's presence constantly hovering around her that Kagome automatically knew, asleep or awake, if he was near or not. A sudden sense of panic settled over her as she instantly assumed the worse. Had something happened to him? Was he hurt? Had he gone after a demon without waking them first? Surely he would have alerted at least her before running off, right? _

_And then it suddenly occurred to her, cutting off her frantic thought process so abruptly that her whole body froze, her eyes going wide and her mouth parting in the slightest. _

He **didn****'****t****…**Why would he risk going out alone in his human form? He's not **that **stupid, is he? _Seriously __contemplating __if __the __hanyou __gone __human __in __question __had __indeed __a __few __screws __loose, __Kagome __bit __her __lip __again __and __debated __for __a__while, __her __muscles __tensing __and __relaxing __as __she __decided __on __what __exactly __she __should __do. _He told me he didn't want me there, that this was something that he had to do by himself. But then again, he could be just taking a bathroom break or something. I don't wanna get bitched at for wandering around alone while he wasn't there. What should I do?

_Groaning quietly in frustration, Kagome rearranged the sleeping kit on her pillow then slowly stood up, being careful so as to not wake up her slumbering companions. Brown eyes nervously darted off into the dark forest, her teeth worrying her bottom lip almost bloody before she finally made a decision. Sucking in a breath, Kagome nodded resolutely to herself then raced into the darkness without a backwards glance. _

Even if he is just taking a break …that's a risk I'm willing to take.

_**-X-**_

_He cursed aloud as another branch snagged on his ebony hair, pulling painfully at his scalp and further aggravating the already anxious human. Planting a hand on a fallen log and effortlessly hurtling over it, Inuyasha grumbled under his breath, not for the first time in the past fifteen minutes damning the night of the new moon straight to hell and very much wishing he had his heightened senses back as he yet again stubbed his toe into a protruding tree root. _

_Inuyasha forged on, trudging through the darkness and pushing his way through the foliage and desperately wishing for some form of light to magically appear so that his feet could be saved from his sightless stumbling. _

_And then suddenly, not five seconds prior to the silent wish, an eerie white glow illuminated the ground before him and the human snapped his head up to stare at the luminescent Soul Collector as it slithered its way through the air above him, a pure white orb clutched in its thin spidery legs. Inuyasha heaved a sigh of relief and increased his pace, keeping up with the snake-like creature and hoping that the undead woman was not far from there. _

_Five minutes later found Inuyasha crashing through the brush and stumbling into a small clearing, alight with the pure glow of the Shinidamachuu. And standing in the center amid the slithering snakes riding the air, was the tragic priestess herself, her pale skin looking almost transparent from the white radiance and her deep brown eyes devoid of emotion. _

_Inuyasha sucked in a breath and suppressed a shudder as those dead eyes seemed to pierce right through him to the very center of his begin. How had he ever managed to stare into those eyes and kiss those once-warm lips? His form shook again, this time of revulsion. Why, indeed._

"_Why have you summoned me, Inuyasha?" She paused and then finally seemed to take him all in. "You are human."_

_Inuyasha inwardly grimaced at the coldness of her tone and wished he could turn away from those ghostly brown eyes. What ever happened to pleasantries or just a polite "hello" before getting right down to business? Apparently Kikyou deemed it necessary to get right to the point without any such fore-chatter, and if Inuyasha really thought about it, Kikyou had always been the no-nonsense kind and was never one for pointless conversation. Why should that change even in death?_

_Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, the hanyou-gone-human sucked in a breath and set his jaw, straightening up a bit and boring his eyes into her dead ones. _

"_I couldn't do this any other way," he said slowly, the double meaning lost to her. "And I know…this is the side you prefer." _

_Kikyou frowned slightly and canted her head to the side. "Indeed," she agreed, although he could tell she was puzzled by his sudden change of heart. Where was all this coming from? Wasn't he supposed to be with her copy? Hadn't he made it clear that he'd chosen the imitation instead of the real thing?_

"_I've decided," he began softly, slowly, taking a step closer to her and making sure to keep his face carefully neutral, "I've decided, Kikyou, that I want to go to hell with you." _

_**-X-**_

_Kagome jogged through the woods, ducking under low branches and sweeping aside any brush that got in her way. She was positive now that Inuyasha hadn't gone for a potty break; he would have stayed within hearing distance if he had, and Kagome had searched the perimeter, finding no hanyou-turned-human. _

_It __confused __her, __though; __why __would __he __choose __his __human __night __to __venture __off __by __himself? __Why __tonight __of __all __nights? __Even __though __Inuyasha __was __stronger __than __the __average __human, __they __both __knew __the __risks __of __him __wandering __out __alone __on __the __night __of __the __new __moon. __What __if __Sesshomaru __decided __to __take __a __late __night __stroll __and __happened __about __his __half __brother __and __took __advantage __of __his __weakened __state? __What __if __he __ran __into __a __horde __of __demons __and __couldn__'__t __depend __on __the __Tetsusaiga __to __save __him? __But __even __worse__… __what __if _Naraku _found __out __about __his __human n__ight __and__…__?_

_Panic was slowly settling upon her as the "what if's" continued and Kagome ran a bit faster, ignoring the sting of the branches as they cut into her flesh of her arms and legs and swatted against her face, leaving red welts in their wake. None of that was important, however; she had to get to Inuyasha before something happened to him and she very much wished she'd thought to bring her bow and arrows with her. _

Inuyasha…_Forcing __her __legs __to __move __faster, __Kagome__'__s __breath __hitched __in __her __throat __when __an __eerie __white __glow __seeped __in __through __the __cracks __of __the __trees __up __ahead __and __it __was __just __now __that __Kagome __realized __that __everything __around __her __seemed __to __be __at __a __stand still. __No __insects __were __chirping, __no __nocturnal __creatures __were __present __within __the __area, __and __Kagome __could __sense __not __even __one __single __youkai __aura._

_She slowed up and allowed her racing heart to calm down a bit before cautiously creeping closer, hoping – praying – that she wouldn't find the object of her affections standing amidst the white glow and, ultimately, the source of it. _

_After what seemed like a small eternity, the brush came into view and, steeling herself, Kagome pushed it aside and—_

"_I want to go to hell with you."_

_Her heart broke._

_**-X-**_

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…_ The mantra repeated over and over in his mind, guilt gnawing hungrily at his insides, and leaving him feeling sick and absolutely wretched. He hadn't wanted to do it this way; but really, was there any other choice? The only sure-fire way for them to be together was to make sure_ she_ didn't interfere, and in order to do that, he had to get close enough to her and commence with his original plan to get rid of her once and for all._

_Inuyasha hadn't counted on her following him. Even in his human form, he could still sense her aura; feel her soul as it called out to his. He had strictly demanded in no uncertain terms that she were to remain in the camp at all times, even if she were to wake and find him missing. She had apparently done just that. But of course, that was his Kagome, wasn't it? Always following when he ordered her to stay behind, asking about his health before her own, arguing with_ him_, the _dominate_ one in their relationship. _

_But that was one of the many reasons why he loved her, wasn't it? Granted, she had this annoying little habit of not fucking _listening_ to him when she should, and as a result trouble was always finding her, or she was finding it. And as much as he wanted to whirl around and yell at her to get back to camp _now,_ dammit, Inuyasha knew he couldn't and forced his feet to stay where they were, gritting his teeth and setting his jaw. He knew she was there, but so far Kikyou didn't, and he wanted to keep it that way. He also knew that this was going to break her heart, but it had to be done; another reason why he wanted her to stay way. _Stupid wench… Dammit. I'm sorry…

_Still highly aware of the presence of the woman he loved hiding in the trees, Inuyasha took a steadying breath and stood his ground, refusing to give her presence away and ultimately put her in danger. Because that was the last thing he wanted. He clenched his fists and fought to keep his expression neutral. He wasn't surprised when Kikyou's features had swiftly morphed from stoic to shocked, her cold brown eyes rounding slightly. It was safe to say she certainly hadn't been expecting that and mentally Inuyasha cheered. So far, so good. Still, he said nothing and waited for her to absorb this, and thankfully he didn't have wait long._

"_Are…you certain?" He didn't miss the hopeful glint in her eye and part of him felt like a total asshole for what he was about to do, but the other part loved Kagome more and that was enough resolve for him to carry out his plan to the end._

_Swallowing thickly, Inuyasha nodded and allowed his expression to soften, the slightest smile curling his lips upward. "Yes," he breathed and took a few steps forward, ignoring the churning in his gut. "It's true, Kikyou. I've told myself that I can live without you, that it was better this way…but I can't do it anymore. Kikyou…" He stopped before her and gazed into her eyes, forcing the words to emit from his throat. "I need you with me. I love you." _

_Inuyasha flinched visibly at the faint gasp that sounded from behind him and clenched his hands into fists, keeping his eyes on the woman before him even though every fiber of his being wanted to run to her and tell her it wasn't true, it was a lie, that he loved her, he always had, and he always will. But he still didn't move, telling himself it was almost over; just a few more minutes and he'd be able to hold her and reassure her that she was the one for him, that he wanted her for his wife and mate. _

_Renewing his resolve and compelling himself to stay where he was, Inuyasha felt like shit when the softest of smiles graced Kikyou's pale features, her once emotionless brown eyes alighting with a new hope. Thankfully she hadn't heard Kagome's shocked gasp and she had failed to notice his reaction to it. She was probably too shocked herself, he thought in wry amusement. _

"_Oh, Inuyasha," she breathed and closed the distance between them, twining her arms around his torso and pressing her body close to his. "How I've longed to hear you say that." Her head rested against his chest and her fingers dug into his back. It didn't matter to her that this was out of the blue and therefore slightly suspicious; she was at last getting what she deserved and mentally gloated over the victory. Finally, she defeated her copy for Inuyasha's affections and confessing to her while he was human only solidified that notion. He was meant for her, and she for him, and all was as it should be. _

_Ignoring the rather strong urge to retch and throw her away from him, Inuyasha mechanically wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes, placing a hand on the back of her head while the other splayed across the small of her back. _

Forgive me…_ He tried not to think about the girl witnessing all of this as he allowed the dagger hidden within the folds of his right sleeve to fall into his hand, as he used the hand on her head to tilt her neck back and place his lips on hers, and he tried not to think at all as he plunged the blade into the back of the woman he once loved, shattering her clay body and ending her stolen life. _

_Kikyou grunted against his lips, then pulled back, shaking, to stare wide-eyed into the apologetic violet eyes of the hanyou-turned-human. Her lips moved, but no sound came out save for a strangled cry of pain as Inuyasha withdrew the weapon, causing cracks to spread over her shoulders to ascend up her neck and spider web across her face. "In…u…wh…I…"_

_Inuyasha watched, his heart wrenching in his chest, as Kikyou clung desperately to him, her hands tightly fisted in his robes as she slid down his body, fragments of her "flesh" breaking away and falling to the ground. His throat closed painfully and something prickled behind his eyes, but he still did nothing as she literally fell to pieces before him, her eyes screaming the word "why" to him until finally, he could bear it no longer and he closed his eyes, swallowing the hard lump in his throat. _

_After what seemed like a small eternity, Kikyou finally gave up and with one last heartfelt glace in his direction, closed her eyes and her face crumbled away along with the rest of her body, leaving a pile of clay fragments to litter the ground before the man she thought she loved. _

_Trembling, heart pounding and feeling like he was about to hurl everywhere, Inuyasha opened his eyes and allowed his hand to go slack, letting the dagger slip from his grasp and fall to the ground beside him. He didn't quite know what to feel as he stared at the red and white priestess robes in front of him, littered with clay fragments and dust. He wasn't surprised when a white mist slowly ascended from the rubbish to hover before him for a moment, then dash away, no doubt going back to its original owner. _

_Kagome's soul._

"_Kagome," he whispered and finally allowed a genuine smile to grace his lips. Taking a deep breath, Inuyasha turned around, intent on finally taking her into his arms and never letting go, when he suddenly froze and the color drained from his face._

_She was gone. _

_**-X-**_

_Kagome ran as fast as he legs would carry her, angry red welts and scratches marring her skin as unforgiving branches racked across her unprotected arms and legs. It didn't matter; she was numb, and it wasn't from the cold of the evening. The tears ran unchecked down her face as Inuyasha's words echoed in her head and she squeezed her eye shut tight against the pain._

"I love you."

"_No!" she sobbed, shaking her head, refusing to believe it. But try as she might, she couldn't ignore the glaring evidence that she had just witnessed. How could she have been so blind? So stupid? Then unbidden the image of Inuyasha dipping his head toward Kikyou flashed through his head and her heart broke a little more. She hadn't been able to watch anymore after that, and so she fled, running blindly into the woods, not knowing where she was going and not caring. She had to get away from there, had to get away from the feeling of betrayal and hurt. God, did it hurt! _

_Blinded by her heartache and tears, Kagome tripped and stumbled through the woods, needing to get away. It wasn't fair! _She _was the one that was always there for him, not her! _She _was the one to bring him out of his fifty year sleep; she was the one who bandaged his wounds! It was her that he trusted to keep his human night a secret! Her, her, _her!_ So why the hell did that—that—that _breathing pile of dirt_ get his affections! It just. Wasn't. _Fair!

_Breathing hard, still sobbing and vision blurred by her endless tears, Kagome couldn't see where she was going and as a result couldn't possibly have noticed that the ground ended up ahead, and thus was helpless as she burst through the trees and tumbled down the ravine, her terrified scream cut short by the unforgiving icy waters of the river. The last thing she saw was a strange white light following after her down the incline before blackness enveloped her._

**-X-**

Inuyasha stared into the wide eyes of the woman he loved, the betrayal in them obvious and it made the breath catch in his throat. But wait. Why would she feel that way? She was there, wasn't she? She had to have seen him thrust that dagger into her back, ultimately killing her… Then he remembered that he had found her gone after he turned around to confront her, and he paled. She must have fled sometime before that, having not wanting to see the man she loved kiss her preincarnation. Because yes, he knew she loved him, had for some time, but he hadn't been able to do anything about it until he'd gotten rid of Kikyou once and for all, the one obstacle that stood between them. But now she was gone, and he was finally able to express his love for her…but first he had to chase away the doubt and – he winced – betrayal in her eyes.

"Kagome…" he started and apparently that was enough to bring Kagome out of her stupor because she suddenly shoved against his chest and pushed herself out of his lap, the tears running down her cheeks again and leaving salty tracks in their wake.

"No," she gasped, crawling away from him, clutching her chest and bowing her head. The pain was back, fiercer than ever, and all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and die. Dammit, but why did he save her? He has his clay pot, he didn't need her. Why was he even here anyway? How did he know that she was there and ran way? Did it even matter? He wasn't hers any longer and Kagome didn't' think he was even hers to begin with. That was what hurt the most; the thought that all of her progress, all of her tears, suffering and hurt over the years…was all for naught.

A choked sob escaped passed her lips and she pressed her hand to her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut and shivering. She was cold, her clothes sticking to her body like a second skin and her hair going stiff from being exposed to the cold air for too long. She was going to get sick, but Kagome couldn't bring herself to care. She'd just lost the only person she'd come to truly love, deeply and resolutely, so what the hell did it matter anymore.

Inuyasha felt helpless as Kagome shoved away from him, her sobs constricting his chest, clawing at his heart and his first instinct was to take her into his arms bring warmth back to her chilled skin, comfort his mate and dry her tears. But he knew that she most likely didn't want anything to do with him right now so he reluctantly stayed put. But, dammit, he had to _explain__…_

"Kagome," he began again and hesitantly inched closer, not missing the way she tensed at his voice and shrunk into herself, no doubt trying to make herself as small as possible. "Kagome, please—"

"Go away," she rasped and hugged her knees to her chest, burying her face in them and shying away.

Inuyasha frowned. "No," he said and put a hand on her arm. She flinched and shrugged away from his touch, scooting farther away from him.

"Leave me alone, Inuyasha," she hissed and lifted her head to glare at him, unshed tears making her eyes glisten. "Why are you still here? Your precious Kikyou is waiting for you. You wouldn't want to be late for you date in _hell._" She spat the words at him and the venom in her voice had him flinching, but he still didn't leave her alone like she so obviously wanted.

Ignoring the ache in his chest, Inuyasha crawled forward until he was kneeling in front of her and took her shoulders in his hands. "Shut up and listen to me. I'm trying—"

"_You_ shut up!" Kagome seethed and smacked his hands away from her, glowering heatedly at him and breathing hard. "I told you to get away from me, stupid! Is your brain broken? It must be if you're still here and not with your precious walking clay pot! Leave before I freakin' 's' you into _hell_, before _she_ can even drag you there!"

"_She_ is fuckin' _**DEAD!**_" he finally exploded, fed up with her unnecessary anger.

"_I_—…what…?" Kagome stared at him, not quite believing her ears. Did he just say…?

"Don't you fucking get it!" Inuyasha continued, thrusting his hands through his raven hair and glaring heatedly at her. "I fucking killed her for you, bitch! I killed her so we can be together, without her in the way, and the only way I could do that was to be in my weak human form so she'd trust me easier and believe what I said because _that__'__s_ the side she wants! Dammit—" He cut himself off and grit his teeth, standing up and punching the nearest tree with all his might. The bark cracked.

Furious, he whirled around to glower at her again, hands clenched into fists and brows lowered dangerously over his dark eyes. "Think hard, Kagome, think real _fuckin__'_ hard about what I just said and what the hell it means because I'm not gonna put up with this bullshit from you. This is exactly why I didn't want you to follow me, why I needed to do this by myself, but of course you didn't fucking listen to me and now look where it's got us! Dammit, Kagome, don't you trust me! Don't you trust me to do the right thing for once and—and, fuck, I don't know! Do something _right,_ maybe! _Damn!_" He punched the tree again and this time his knuckles split from the force, blood spurting forth and coating his hand. Inuyasha either didn't feel it or ignored it and Kagome hazarded a guess that it was the former.

Feeling worse with every word he ground out, Kagome sat silently on the ground, shoulders slumped and staring at him with wide, astonished eyes. He'd…he'd actually killed Kikyou? His first love? And he did it all…for her? Shocked stupid, all the young woman could do was stare at him, not believing her ears, yet not daring to hope that maybe…maybe…

Sucking in a calming breath, Kagome slowly stood up on shaky legs, wincing as her sore muscles protested. "I…didn't…" She paused and bit her lip, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry I didn't listen," she finally settled for and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Damn right you are," he growled and aimed a glare at her. She flinched and bowed her head, and Inuyasha heaved a sigh, thrusting a hand through his damp hair again. He didn't miss the way she was still shivering and even though he was pissed as all hell, he couldn't let Kagome suffer from the cold. Never Kagome. So he stomped over to his previously discarded fire-rate robe and yanked it up, striding back over to the shivering young woman and wrapping her in its warmth. It was mostly dry now from when he'd shed it after retrieving Kagome from the icy waters of the river. Kagome obviously wasn't expecting that because she gasped softly and stared questioningly up at him, to which he merely scoffed and pulled it more securely around her. She was probably going to get sick. Keh. Stupid girl…

A tense silence followed afterward as the two stood there silently, Kagome much warmer than she was before and grateful that Inuyasha was still looking out for her health, even if he hated her at the moment. She couldn't blame him.

He still wasn't saying anything though, just staring to the side, lost in this own thoughts, and finally Kagome couldn't take it anymore.

"So…" she began and Inuyasha glanced askance at her. Encouraged, she continued, "What happened after you…" She couldn't bring herself to say it and ducked her head, staring at the ground.

He didn't answer right away, but when he did, she found herself lifting her head to stare up at his face. He was frowning and staring at something over her shoulder. "She crumbled to the ground before me, nothing but fragments of who she used to be, clay, and dust." He paused. "Then a white mist rose up from her remains, hovered for a bit, and then vanished into the woods." He finally locked gazes with her and Kagome gasped as realization dawned.

"The white light…" she murmured and at Inuyasha's raised eyebrow, she elaborated. "Right before I, um, fell into the river, I saw a white light following after me. It must have been the piece of my soul that Kikyou harbored within her. I hadn't realized…" She bit her lip and averted her gaze again.

Inuyasha continued. "Since a certain sneaky wench I know decided to not listen to me and follow after me anyways—" Kagome had the good grace to blush. "—I turned around to confront you about it but noticed you were gone. So I followed after you as best as I could, being human and all, but then I heard you scream and followed it to the river. Having guessed what happened, I dove in after you, pulled you out, and did that CPR thing you taught us about a while ago."

"So you _were_ listening!" Kagome exclaimed with a hesitant smile.

Inuyasha scoffed and crossed his arms over his bare chest. "Yeah, so? It saved your life, didn't it? So of course I was listening! Keh. Stupid girl," he mumbled, averting his gaze.

Kagome's features softened and she bit her lip. "Inuyasha…"

He grunted.

Taking a step forward to bring herself closer to him, Kagome was encouraged when he didn't back away from her and placed a hand on his arm. She smiled genuinely up at him. "Thank you for saving me," she said softly. "And…I'm sorry." She sighed and closed her eyes, letting her hand fall away from his arm to wrap her arms around herself again. "I should have listened to you. I should have stayed at camp. God, I'm so sorry, Inuyasha," she said hoarsely and fought back the tears that threatened to escape. But it was to no avail. They escaped her tightly closed eyes and trailed down her cheeks as choked sobs bubbled up from her throat and emitted from her mouth.

"Stupid," she heard Inuyasha say somewhat affectionately then his arms were around her, pulling her close against him and Kagome clung desperately to him, her own arms wrapping around his neck and burying her face in his chest. "Don't you understand?" he said softly and combed his fingers through her wet hair gently. "Everything I do is for you, Kagome. Fuck, I _live_ for you, wench." He pulled back and took her face in his hands, tilting her head up so he could lock gazes with her. Tenderly he brushed his thumbs over her cheeks, wiping away her tears. He leaned forward to rest his forehead against her own and sighed, never breaking eye contact. "I love you, Kagome," Inuyasha murmured and watched as Kagome's eyes widened and lit up brilliantly.

Before she could say anything, however, there was a pressing need Inuyasha desperately needed to take care of and so without another word he tilted his head and slanted his mouth against her own, kissing her deeply, passionately, and so lovingly the tears in Kagome's eyes sprang forth as she kissed him back. Everything the two felt for each other was poured into that one kiss, the longing, the heartache, the burning love they felt apparent in the way their lips moved against each other's.

But all good things must come to an end and reluctantly they parted to take in some much needed air, and once more Inuyasha rested his forehead against her own, her face still cradled in his palms. He kissed away her tears, relishing in the barely audible giggle that erupted from her mouth. Smiling, Kagome gazed up at him with all of the love in her eyes and leaned into his touch.

"I love you, too," she whispered and Inuyasha smiled.

"I know," he rumbled and kissed her forehead. "C'mon," he said and reluctantly pulled back to take her hand. "We'd better head back. You're clothes and hair are still wet and we need to get you dry and warm before you get really sick." He picked up his discarded undershirt and shrugged it on before taking her hand again. "We'll wake the others and head back to Kaede's village; it's not far from here. We should get there in about two hours or so, and then we'll go to your time." He tugged her against him and Kagome gratefully leaned into his warmth, smiling when he released her hand only to wrap his arm around her waist.

It didn't take Inuyasha long to find a way back up the ravine, a decidedly more dry route, much to Kagome's pleasure, and twenty minutes later found them waking up their friends and fabricating some story or another as an excuse to hightail it back to Kaede's, and thus the well. They didn't want to share their new relationship with their friends just yet; there was still a few things that needed to be cleared up. That was another reason why Inuyasha deemed it necessary to head back to Kagome's time; they could talk in private without annoying little kitsunes or teasing monks to interrupt them.

Thankfully, the slayer and monk bought their half-assed story and had no qualms with traveling through the night to return to what they called home. It was still hours to dawn when they finally breeched the edges of Kaede's village and Kagome and Inuyasha bid their friends a farewell before trekking to the well and jumping five hundred years into the future. Aside from the privacy benefit of Kagome's time, it was a good idea to be on this side anyway since Inuyasha was human and thus more vulnerable. But not like he would ever admit that…keh.

Unsurprisingly Kagome's family was asleep by this time of night and the two were silent as they snuck in the front door and headed upstairs to her room, where Inuyasha immediately made himself at home on Kagome's bed and said girl gathered up some dry clothes to change into before heading to the bathroom for a nice hot shower. He turned down her offer to take one after her, saying he was already dry and mumbling under his breath that he didn't want to delay the inevitable. Kagome heard him anyway and deigned not to comment.

The young woman returned a short time later, feeling warm and refreshed, donned in a pale yellow camisole and faded plaid pajama bottoms and with Inuyasha's haori draped over her arm. Her hair was still damp, since she hadn't wanted to blow dry it so she didn't wake up her family, and decided there was no harm in letting it air dry. She aimed a soft smile at the man on her bed, who was sitting cross-legged sitting with his back to the wall and she received a small one in return. Feeling nervous, though not knowing exactly why, she placed his fire-rate over the back of her chair then crawled onto the bed next to him, bringing up her knees and wrapping her arms around them.

For a while the two sat there in silence, neither knowing what to say, and yet knowing they couldn't ignore this, but not wanting to break the peace between them either. Finally, it seemed that Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore and with a sigh he reached over and pulled the startled Kagome into his lap, arranging her so that she straddled this thighs and he could see her face. A face, he noticed with some amusement, that was blushing quite heatedly as he placed his clawless hands upon her hips to keep her there. Kagome's gaze was directed at his chest and he frowned, lifting a hand to cup her chin gently and tilt her face up to she could lock his gaze with hers.

"Kagome," he began gently, "why did you follow me?" Might as well start off with the basics.

Sighing, said girl wrinkled her nose and tried to avert her gaze, but a gentle squeeze on her chin subtly told her he didn't like that. So reluctantly, she met his eyes again and bit her lip before replying. "I was…worried," Kagome whispered, easily reading the confusion in his eyes.

"About what?" His voice was a low rumble that sent shivers down her spine.

"You. I didn't know where you'd gone, if-if something happened to you, or if you were simply, um, relieving yourself, or something." She blushed slightly but continued. "I mean, you were human, totally vulnerable—" He shot her a look, to which she ignored, "—and what if Sesshomaru, or heaven forbid _Naraku_ found you like that?" She stared wide-eyed up at him and Inuyasha's breath hitched in his throat. "I just had to take that risk, Inuyasha, knowing you were out there, by yourself, without Tetsusaiga to protect you or your demonic powers, so I couldn't rest until I was sure you were alright. Had I known you were going to…do that…" She trailed off and bit her lip again, but to her credit she didn't avert her eyes.

Inuyasha could tell she wasn't done yet, so patiently he waited for her to continue, releasing her chin to tenderly brush back a tendril of damp hair behind her ear, trailing his fingertips across her soft cheek. She smiled at him and finally Kagome seemed to relax, placing her hands on his chest and fiddling with the edges of his undershirt.

"It's…not that I don't trust you," Kagome whispered. "I do. Very much. I trust you with my life, Inuyasha." She raised a hand to cup his cheek and smiled when he turned his head to kiss her palm. "It's just…" She made a face dropped her gaze again, though this time he allowed her. "I just wish…you would trust me a bit more, and let me go with you when you…" She didn't bother finishing her sentence.

Inuyasha finally understood now and he felt like shit for what he put her though all those times. "Kagome…" he sighed and gathered her close, wrapping his arms around her and burying his nose in her hair. "I'm sorry," he breathed. "I didn't know you felt that way. Dammit, Kagome, why didn't you tell me?" He pulled back slightly to look into her eyes, his hands once more coming up to cradle her face in his palms. He was always so much more touchy-feely when he was human, though he suspected that Kagome didn't mind it at all, so he kept himself from holding back.

"You said you didn't want me to go," Kagome answered. "That it was something you needed to do by yourself."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "It _was_ something I needed to do by myself, because if I'd brought you with me, it wouldn't have worked like I wanted it to and the whole damn thing would have been moot. But that's not what I'm talking about," he added in a softer tone. "I'm talking about all the other times, wench, when I left to go see her." He didn't want to beat around the bush anymore; it had to be said. "We never did nothing, 'cept talk about Naraku and his current whereabouts, or ideas to whatever the hell he was up to next and shit."

Kagome peeked up at him through her lashes. "…Really?"

"I swear. So why didn't you just ask to come along, wench? I wouldn'tna had a problem with it."

She looked sheepish. "I…didn't know I could."

Inuyasha shook his head and rolled his eyes again. "Doesn't matter anymore, anyways," he said and locked gazes with her once more, serious once again. "She's gone now. You – _we_ – don't have to worry about her anymore."

Instead of the radiant smile he'd been expecting, Inuyasha frowned at the look of sadness that swept across her face. "It…must have been hard for you," she whispered and instantly he knew where she was going with this. And he really didn't feel like getting into it; at least not now, anyways.

He gave her a look that told her he didn't appreciate this turn of conversation, but answered anyway. "It…was," he admitted lowly and couldn't stop his mind from replaying previous events. He grimaced, the familiar ache in his chest returning, but then he remembered why he did it and it didn't hurt so much anymore. And with that realization were the endless possibilities and suddenly Inuyasha didn't feel like talking anymore.

Kagome gasped at the sudden smoldering look that settled over Inuyasha's features and a curious, not so unpleasant heat settled within her tummy at the unbridled lust she detected in his gaze. "In-Inu…yasha…?" she questioned hesitantly, a flush rising up her neck to settle over her cheeks.

"Wench," he returned affectionately and leaned forward to brush his lips across her own, a whisper of a kiss, and then trailed his mouth across the softness of her cheek to nip at her earlobe with blunt human teeth. "I want you."

Butterflies erupted in Kagome's stomach and her mouth went dry. "O-oh…" she managed to breath, utterly distracted by the way he was nibbling his way across her cheek to her mouth, her heart thundering in her chest. "Y-yeah…?" She didn't quite know what to say. She licked her lips and sucked in a shaky breath, not knowing what to expect next when he pulled away and smirked devilishly at her.

"Yeah." And with that, Inuyasha graced her with a rather wicked smile before grabbing her slim thighs and pulling her flush against him, simultaneously lifting his hips and stealing her startled gasp as his mouth found hers, delving inside and groaning at her delectable taste. He didn't know what the hell had come over him, but all he wanted to do was pound her into fucking oblivion until all she knew how to do was say his name, kiss her until she was breathless, and love her until the end of time. Maybe it was because the one obstacle that had always stood between them was gone now, for good, and now nothing was stopping him from showing her just how much he truly loved her.

However, it was proving rather difficult to do just that when the object of his affections and lust wasn't responding to him. "Kagome," he pleaded, gentling his kiss until he was placing a series of fervent yet tender kisses to her mouth, tugging on her bottom lip, flicking his tongue over the soft flesh and cupping the back of her neck with a hand. "C'mon, wench," he mumbled with a teasing glint in his eye, his other hand sneakily slipping under her camisole to touch the sensitive skin of her tummy. "I know you want me, too. Don't make me do all the work." A sly smirk tilted his lips and finally he was rewarded when Kagome returned his smirk with a hesitant but genuine smile of her own, her eyelids going to half-mast as her hands slithered inside the opening of his undershirt.

The moment his lips met hers for the second time that night, all thought left Kagome's mind in a whoosh and she was left sitting there, shocked stupid, as Inuyasha continued to kiss the living daylights out of her. It felt so good, to have his lips moving against her own, his calloused hand skimming across the softness of her belly… But then his husky voice brought her back to reality and instantly she reacted, her own hands seeking the warm flesh of his chest and her lids lowering to gaze at him through thick sooty lashes. "Now why would I do that?" Kagome purred and leaned forward to capture his mouth with her own.

Deciding he quite liked this new, seductive and provocative side of Kagome, Inuyasha quickly took control of the kiss and thrust his tongue into her mouth, swallowing her moan and sweeping the sugary recesses of her mouth, savoring her taste even as his hands continued to press her closer to him, needing her with a passion so fierce it left him blind to nothing but the wonderful, beautiful woman in his arms. But first, this damn top had to go.

With an impatient grunt, Inuyasha pulled away and shoved the camisole up off her person and carelessly tossed it aside, and Kagome, not to be outdone, worked on getting him out of his own undershirt. He smirked and assisted her, shrugging out of the white garment and throwing it to the floor. Instantly Kagome's hands darted to his chest, roaming the chiseled perfection of his body and tracing the lines and contours of rock hard muscle. Then with a rather naughty smile that had him hardening underneath her, Kagome bowed her head and _bit_ him, right on his left pec, and he gasped, his hands pausing just underneath her breasts as a jolt of pleasure went straight to his groin.

Kagome snickered, and he narrowed his eyes. Oh, wench thought she was funny, did she? Keh. With an absolutely sinful smirk, Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders and suddenly pinned her down on the bed beneath him, grinding his hardness into her soft core and arresting her wrists with his hands. He loved the feeling of her bare breasts pressing against his naked flesh, her nipples hard and his mouth watered at the thought of taking them into his mouth. "Wench," he threatened, breathing hard, and gritting his teeth against the sensation of her heat scorching him through two layers of fabric. Holy Jesus.

"Dog-boy," she retorted, giving back as much as he gave by leaning up and nipping at his chin, squirming beneath him, lifting her hips against his and moaning every time his erection came in contact with her center. God, but how she wanted him. She was on fire, his touch leaving her burning, yearning for more yet it was never enough. Kagome felt wanton, needed, wanted, and sexy all at once and _Oh __my _god, _if __he __keeps __doing __that__…_ Inuyasha was currently suckling at her neck and making his way down to her chest, his hands running up and down her sides and succeeding in making her squirm and biting her lip to keep in her giggles. She could feel him smile against her breast and knew the jerk was enjoying this.

"Jerk," she mumbled and then gasped when he bit down on _her_ left breast, returning her little love bite from earlier and snickering quietly before taking her nipple into his mouth and suckling hard, scraping his teeth along the tender flesh and soothing it with his tongue. Inuyasha hummed in appreciation at her unique flavor and switched to the other mound, giving it the same attention as its twin while his hand snaked down her tummy and into the waistband of her pants as the other dove into her hair and cradled the back of her neck. His fingertips brushed against slick wetness and he growled lowly, still managing to pull it off even while being human. She was so hot and wet, ready for him and it made him throb painfully, aching to be inside her velvet heat, to fuck her senseless, to claim her as his.

Kagome lay there panting and whimpering with every sweep of his tongue across her sensitive peaks, the ache between her thighs growing to near unbearable heights. Her hands dove into his black hair and ran her fingers through the silky tresses, biting her lip to keep in her moans as she felt his hand sneak into her pants and brush against her weeping center.

Deciding that the pants have got to go, Inuyasha slid down her body, leaving kisses in his wake, and curled his fingers into the waistband of her bottoms before slowly tugging them down to reveal a patch of black curls and glistening pink flesh beneath it. He quirked a brow at the lack of panties and shot Kagome a smirk, to which she blushed but smiled innocently at him, fluttering her eyelashes. He chuckled and pulled them all the way off, throwing them unceremoniously to the floor. He took a moment to admire the view of Kagome's womanhood, pink flesh slick and hot and smelling fucking delicious and he just had to taste her. Licking his lips hungrily, he wasted no more time and lowered his head flick his tongue against her, groaning as he tasted her for the first time. God, she tasted so good! Rumbling in approval, Inuyasha brought his hands up to spread her thighs apart and shoved his face between her legs, opening his mouth and devouring her snatch like man starving.

Kagome gasped in surprise at the feeling something warm and wet touching her core, but then slapped a hand against her mouth to prevent the loud scream bubbling up past her throat as Inuyasha went to town, spreading her thighs apart and eating her out. She writhed beneath him, moaning in pleasure, and finally she couldn't stop the moans from escaping as her hands dropped to clutch the bed sheets below her and being too loud was the farthest thing from her mind.

Groaning at her heavenly taste, Inuyasha devoured her, suckling her sweet nectar, licking her pink lips and flicking the tip of his tongue against her clit. He quickly found out that that was her pleasure spot and spent a lot of time stimulating that hard little nub, sucking on it, nipping, sipping and lavishing. He was painfully hard at this point but he ignored it; Kagome's pleasure always came before his own. With renewed vigor that had his girl arching up off the bed and begging for release, Inuyasha smirked arrogantly and gave her what she wanted, thrusting his tongue into her opening, using his thumb to play with her clit and loving how Kagome's moans and cries grew in volume with every second.

"G-god," Kagome gasped, bucking her hips into his face, writhing in pleasure, and arching her back. Something hot and wonderful was coiling in the pit of her belly, threatening to spring lose and promising something amazing. She was almost there, she could feel it, teetering on the precipice, and all she needed was that one little push. And then she felt his fingers pumping into her tight channel and she lost it, eyes going wide, mouth dropping open in a silent scream as she came, her back arching off the bed and her stomach muscles quivering with the force of her orgasm. "Inu…yasha…!"

Hungrily Inuyasha swallowed her essence, greedily taking all she had to give and leaving nothing left behind. His fingers continued to pump her a few more times before withdrawing and Kagome hummed in appreciation as he cleaned her up with his tongue, making sure not a drop was left behind and satisfied, Inuyasha lifted his head and crawled back up her body, gracing her with a brief scorching look before making quick work of his hakama and tossing them somewhere behind him.

He had but a second to recognize the mischievous glint in Kagome's eyes before he was suddenly the one on his back, Kagome straddling his hips and cradling his cock between her thighs. He blinked up at her and a slow, sensuous smile graced her lips before she deliberately rocked her hips against him and watched as he gasped and thrust his hips upward.

"Kagome," he rasped and settled his hands upon her hips, letting her do whatever the hell she wanted as he sat back and enjoyed the view. His heated gaze racked over her naked form, lingering on her breasts and traveling lower over her flat tummy to fixate his gaze where she straddled him. A low growl emitted from his throat at the sight of her grinding her center over his cock, something primal and utterly feral seizing his rational thought. He needed to be inside her,_now_, before he came all over himself just by her gyrating her hips like that.

Gritting his teeth, it took a lot of willpower to grasp her hips and halt her movements, exhaling loudly as thought slowly leaked back into his brain. Breathing heavily, he looked up into his lover's face and without even saying anything, Kagome knew what he desired, what he needed because she needed it too. So it came so to no surprise when Kagome suddenly lifted her hips, grabbed his shafted and aligned him with her center before carefully lowering herself onto him, wincing as he stretched her virginal walls and biting her lip to stifle her cry of pain. God, but he was big. So without delaying the inevitable, Kagome dropped the rest of the way on him and gasped as he tore through her barrier, tears springing to her eyes and trailing down her cheeks.

Startled, Inuyasha sat up and took her into his arms, kissing away her tears, whispering sweet nothings in her ear and running a soothing hand up and down her back. He wasn't a fool; he knew the first time hurt for girls, and it was killing him that he caused her pain, however necessary it was. He remained perfectly still, fighting back the urge to thrust up into her glorious heat. Instead her rained kisses all over her face, her cheeks, nose, forehead, lips, chin, and eyes, willing her to relax, to accept him into her body.

Taking calming breaths, Kagome concentrated on the man she loved, smiling as he tried to distract her from the pain, and she kissed his neck in silent thanks. Then, sucking in a deep breath, Kagome rocked her hips forward, expecting the twinge of pain and feeling powerful when Inuyasha gasped and lifted his hips in response.

"Mmm," he moaned and lay back down on the bed, gazing through half-lidded eyes up at his love, his mate, his Kagome…his everything. "Kagome…" Inuyasha sighed closed his eyes, tilting his hips upward even as a smile flirted with his lips. "Love you," he mumbled, loving the way she felt, lost in the velvet heat that surrounded his shaft.

Returning his smile with a watery one of her own, even though couldn't see it, Kagome leaned down and pressed her lips against his in a tender kiss. "I love you, Inuyasha." Then she moved her hips and rode him softly at first, rocking her pelvis back and forth, assisted by Inuyasha's hands as he guided her movements, telling her what he liked and how he liked it. Her breasts bounced with every thrust, but Inuyasha didn't seem to mind, enjoying the view and even reaching up occasionally to squeeze the heavy mounds and play with her nipples. It was awkward at first, fumbling against each other, moving their hips in an irregular pattern until finally they seemed to fall into a rhythmic pace, their bodies effortlessly molding to each other and soon the room was filled with moans and pants, cries of the other's name echoing off the walls and heavy breathing permeated the area.

"Fuck, Kagome," Inuyasha gasped, grinding his teeth together as Kagome rode him hard, using her legs to lift herself up only to slam back down onto him. With every downward thrust, the half-demon-turned-human met them with his own, slamming his hips into hers and crying out at the jolts of pleasure that swamped his body and made his blood heat in his veins. "Sh-shit. Ride me harder, faster, Kagome, _please,_" he begged, desperate for release. "I-I gotta—" He grunted as she slammed down on him again, sweat coating his skin and making their bodies glisten. God, it wasn't enough. He need more.

"I-I'm trying," Kagome sobbed, doing her best to bring them both to completion but her legs were starting to tire and her breath was coming in short pants. Every time she rammed herself down on him her clit rubbed against his cock and sent pleasure all throughout her body and she cried out in frustration. Dammit, she wanted more, needed something—

With an inhumane growl, Inuyasha suddenly halted her movements and sat up, taking her legs and sweeping them behind him so he could lean forward and switch their positions so he was on top. He smirked down at her. "Lemme show you how it's done." And with that, Inuyasha proceeded to carry out his earlier wish and pounded her into the mattress and Kagome showed her appreciation by clawing her nails down his back and moaning out his name, tossing her head back and curling her spine to meet his thrusts with her own.

"Oh, fuck yeah," Inuyasha groaned and rested his forehead on her shoulder, ramming his cock into her with all that he had and relishing the sound of skin slapping wetly together. This is what he needed, to fuck her into oblivion, to leave a goddamn imprint on the mattress in the shape of her beautiful body. "Look at me, wench," he whispered and she opened her eyes. His mouth came crashing down on hers and she moaned throatily, diving her hands into his hair, arching her body into his, pressing her breasts against his chest and loving the feeling of his skin against hers.

Mercilessly he plundered her mouth as he rammed into her over and over again and soon he felt the telltale tingling in his balls, signaling his release was near and he knew Kagome was close too, but he'd be damned if he came before his mate. Shifting his weight onto his right hand, Inuyasha slipped a hand between them and rubbed at her clit with his fingers, smiling as she bucked against him and whimpered in need. "Come with me, Kagome," he said breathlessly, pulling back from her lips to latch onto her neck and suckle fervently, intent on leaving a mark.

"Inu-Inuyasha…I…mmngh…I'm gonna—oh god!" Inuyasha rubbing her clit was the final push and Kagome went tumbling over the edge, her hands fisting tightly in his hair as she screamed her lover's name, her eyes shut tight as she rode out her orgasm, shuddering violently. Inuyasha followed her shortly afterward, pumping his cock rapidly into her sheath and crying out her name as he emptied himself into her, coating her walls with his seed and then collapsing on top of her, limp and sated, but utterly and completely content. Of their own accord his hips surged forward leisurely a few more times, riding out the after waves of his orgasm, until he stilled altogether and wrapped his arms around his Kagome, nuzzling her neck with his nose and smiling contentedly. They both lay there for a few minutes, catching their breath and regaining their strength.

"Mmm…Kagome," he murmured and managed to find the energy to lift himself up and find her lips with his own, giving her a lazy kiss. Kagome hummed and kissed him back, wearily swathing her arms around his neck. He suddenly chuckled and rested his forehead against her own, opening his eyes to gaze into hazy chocolate orbs. "Damn, woman. You tired me out." He grinned at her and kissed her nose.

Kagome giggled and beamed tiredly up at him, trailing a hand over his shoulder, up his neck to cup his cheek in her palm. "I'm just that talented," she teased, eliciting a snort from the man above her and she snickered.

"Cute," Inuyasha rumbled, nipping her nose gently. Then with a mighty sigh and a soft grunt, he pulled himself out of her and rolled to the side, taking her in his arms and pulling her to spoon against him, her back to his chest. Blindly he reached for the blanket at their feet and pulled it over them so it covered them to the waist then draped his left arm over here waist while his right maneuvered itself under her head to act like a pillow of sorts. Kagome smiled and snuggled back into him, tucking her left arm into the crook of his and lacing their fingers together before tilting her head to give his arm a kiss. Closing her eyes and heaving a content sigh, Kagome easily fell asleep in the arms of the man she undeniably loved more than life itself.

Instead of following her into slumber, Inuyasha stayed awake and studied the sleeping beauty nestled in his arms, thick black eyelashes resting softly against rosy cheeks and full lips parted as she drew in deep, even breaths. Inuyasha smiled, wondering how in the hell he got so lucky and thinking that maybe it was a good thing that Kagome followed him, after all. If she hadn't, who know how long it would have taken them to get to this step. Maybe months, maybe not even long at all, but still, he was happy things ended up the way they were. Kikyou was gone, Kagome was his mate, he was happy and although he knew he'd always feel a twinge of guilt every time he thought of the tragic priestess and just exactly how she left this world, he wouldn't let himself dwell on it for too long. He'd never forget her, of course; she was his first love, after all, but now… Now he had Kagome, and he was never letting her go.

As the tendrils of sleep clawed at his brain and threatened to overtake his conscious state, Inuyasha's last thought before he succumbed to slumber was that he was incredibly glad that Kagome decided to follow after him and take that risk.

**-X-**

Woo hooo, sixteen and a quarter pages. :D I think this is the second longest one-shot I've written so far! Lemme check… *zooms off to check her documents* Yup, second longest. The longest one-shot thus far is _Staking __a __Claim_, which comes in at a whopping thirty pages. Haha. Anyway, Grrrl, I hope you enjoyed reading this. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda struggled with the sex portion with this one for some reason. I guess it's been a while since I've wrote a love scene so I struggled to get back in the swing of things. I had to go back after I deemed it finished and heavily edit the first part where things get steamy, because I just didn't like the way it came out. I'm happy with where it is now, though. It's not too bad, nevertheless…I hope. *shrugs* Meh.

As for the rest of you, I hope you enjoyed it too and tell me what you think. Feedback is always appreciated, and I like constructive criticism, too. =) Please forgive any spelling or grammatical errors. I was tired when I wrote the majority of this, and I didn't want to go to sleep until I finished it because I knew I'd have writer's block all over again if I stopped and went to bed. Feel free to point them out to me in a review and I'll go back and change them when I have the time. =) Oh, and as always, if somebody can think of a better name than the present one, I'm all ears, because frankly, I don't like it. I'm terrible with coming up with titles and ideas and suggestions on creating them are always welcome!

Until next time,  
><em><strong>Keiz<strong>_


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